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With local city council and school board elections being held in conjunction this year, the total number of ballots cast was higher throughout Marion County. According the Marion County Auditor’s Office Election Summary, the county had 23,875 registered voters at the time of the election with 4,882 ballots being cast or approximately 20 percent of eligible voters. That is a 697 more ballots cast from 2017 when 1,856 ballots were cast in the school board elections and 2,329 ballots cast in the city council elections. Marion County Auditor Jake Grandia says he believes the turnout was larger this election because of the amount of contested elections across the county combined with the amount of candidates. Grandia says with the contested contested city council and school board elections and combining the election this year it was a formula for a higher voter outcome. The Knoxville Community School District alone saw an increase of 1,520 votes this year compared to the most recent school board election in 2017.